Bowden town council is frustrated with Alberta Transportation (AT) when it comes to signage and the rest stop in town, but now they may have a chance to see some action.
AT oversees highways in the province.
Council received a letter from AT asking municipalities in Central Alberta to provide their top three questions or concerns about AT to its headquarters in that region.
“This is a pilot project intended to enhance communication between the department and municipalities within the central region,” the letter said.
Mayor Robb Stuart said Bowden councillors told AT officials what their concerns were as far back as September during the AUMA (Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) convention. He listed those concerns as being signage, speed signage and the rest stop.
“We did tell them the three priorities that we had and I don't think any of them have seen action, have they?” he asked.
Councillors agreed they hadn't seen any action on those concerns.
“So we'd better send it again, hadn't we,” Coun. Sheila Church said.
“Yeah, I think we've got to,” Stuart replied. “Because they pretty well guaranteed us that they would look at it and if there was a problem they'd have it replaced right away.”
Church agreed.
“We've got to keep going at it,” she said.
That said, Stuart noted over the last year or so there was a change in government, with the NDP taking power and thus, a new transportation minister (Brian Mason, also the government's infrastructure minister).
Council passed a motion from Coun. Earl Wilson to write a letter in reply to the AT letter listing council's three transportation priorities and noting they advised the department of their concerns during the AUMA convention.
As of press time, Alberta Transportation representatives had not responded to a request for comment regarding council's concerns and statements.
On Feb. 18 Mayor Stuart forwarded the following additional comments:
We did meet with Alberta Transportation at the AUMA conference last fall (2015).
Our three concerns were:
1. We wanted Alberta Transportation to put signage on Secondary Highway 587 warning about the potential of cars into the cemetery. The said that they could put "hidden intersection"signage or some other way of warning people of the possible change in traffic conditions. This was mainly for traffic going west because of the curve that you encounter when you cross over the railroad tracks.
2. We asked that they move the 50 kilometer zone farther south on Highway 2A as you come into Bowden from the South.
Both of these items they said they would look into, but did not see any real problems in following through on
our requests.
The third matter was funding for the provincial rest stop. We are in the last year of Alberta Transportation's three-year commitment for funding. They said that they were doing a study into all of the rest stops. The study was on operational funding, capital funding and management of all the provincial rest stops. They would get back to us with the result of the study. We have no heard anything since our meeting.
"They pretty well guaranteed us that they would look at it and if there was a problem they'd have it replaced right away."ROBB STUARTBOWDEN MAYOR
